


Turn Down for Dut?

by pixelizedRifles



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Marching Band, Because yes, Developing Relationship, Drumline - Freeform, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Smut, Fluffy, Get it?, I Will Go Down With This Ship, Internal Monologue, Levi has piercings, M/M, Marching Band, On Hiatus, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Build, cussing is their main language, drummer boys, eren's a freshman, ereri, levi's a senior, punk Levi, riren - Freeform, the title is a pun, this will be good i promise
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-04
Updated: 2015-10-27
Packaged: 2018-04-24 15:03:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,794
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4924171
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pixelizedRifles/pseuds/pixelizedRifles
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eren Yeager had always loved to go to highschool football games.</p><p>True, he didn't share his father's passion for the game itself, or even his sister's enjoyment in watching the wipe outs.</p><p> The only thing that he looked forward to was the marching band, and more exclusively, the drumline.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Err, hello there! This is just a short little project that I decided to start now that my life's back on track (somewhat.) I'm still busy as ever, but there's always time for writing.
> 
> Here's the prologue for now, but I hope to have chapter one up by tomorrow! This may also be a bit biased because I'm a member of the drumline, but I'll try to even it out. Prepare yourselves for bad jokes and ridiculous puns.

Eren Yeager had always loved to go to highschool football games.

True, he didn't share his father's passion for the game itself, or even his sister's enjoyment in watching the wipe outs.

The only thing that he looked forward to was the marching band, and more exclusively, the drum line.

He wasn't sure what about the schools marching band that drew his attention so much. He never really was a huge music junkie, and hardly knew how to read it himself. Something about the way they marched on to the perfunctory beat of the drums just made Eren's heart light up.

He knew more names of the band members than he did the football players. The band director, a man by the name of Dot Pixis, made sure to always have their names announced so that they got their rightful recognition.

The first time Eren had gone to a football game and watched a halftime performance, Erwin Smith had been nothing but a freshman trumpet player. Quote recently, he was announced as the drum major, and would lead the band on and off of the field every game.

Reiner Braun and Bertdolt Hoover were known as the golden duo, having shared a trumpet-tuba duet their freshmen year that had successfully blew the judges off of their score sheets.

Despite not playing an instrument, Annie Leonhart was also one of the legends of Trost High, earning her place as the most skilled color guard member in Trost history. Her timing was impeccable, and she always seemed to know how to whip the newbies in shape. Even now, as a junior with Reiner and Bertdolt, she remained in charge of the  
auxiliary section.

If Eren had to pick a favorite, however, it would be Levi Ackerman, now the four year captain of the Drumline.

He remembered the first time he had ever gone to a football game, how bored he had been and yet curious at the same time, of all the talk in the bleachers around him. Apparently, the drumline had a freshmen captain this year. Must've been pretty talented, they said.

They were proven wrong when the band had marched on for Pre-game. It was an unforgettable sight; such power and perfection emitting itself from the Drumline, led on by quite possibly the smallest person in the entire band.

Eren never forgot that moment.

Even now, with three years passed and him sitting in front of his parents grave, Eren smiled.

"I finally did it," he spoke to his parents, "I'm finally a high-schooler. I can finally join the marching band, just like I always wanted to."

Eren expected nothing less than the silence that followed, but he laughed to himself when he imagined his Mother's hesitant congratulations.

"Don't worry Mom, I won't be playing one of the bigger drums," he said reassuringly, and then smiled down at his feet. "Unless Levi puts me on one, then I guess that's that. I trust him though, so I wouldn't worry."

He imagined his mother's voice scolding him for trusting someone he didn't even know; his father intervening to say that Eren had every right to have trust in his role model.

Ah, what a wonderful feeling he got in his chest from those words.

Eren nodded to this, appreciating both his mother's concern, and his father sticking up for him. "I'll be alright," he said, with a large grin. He stood, and stared down at the graves with a now sadder smile on his face.

"I'll make you proud," he whispered to them as a tear made it down his cheek. "I'll make sure that we win first place at competition this year, and I'll even keep my grades up to Bs. I'll try not to fight with Jean as much, and I'll avoid fighting people, and--"

"Eren! Are you coming?"

Eren turned, seeing Armin's concerned face in the passenger seat of his sister's black Cadillac. Sure, it wasn't the best looking car, but it got them around. 

“One minute!” he called back and returned his gaze to his parent's graves.

"Well, you get the picture..."he mumbled with a smile, and wiped his eyes. "Don't worry, it'll be a great year, for all of us!" With a firm nod (though if it were to himself or his parents, he was unsure,) he turned and jogged over to Mikasa's car, sliding excitedly into the back seat and, in a sense, his new life as a freshman at Trost High.

Maybe, just maybe, his life would turn out for the better. 

What he didn't know is that it's outcome was determined on one person alone; a small ravenette with piercing grey eyes.


	2. “Do you even know where the band room is?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it's official, I'm putting in atleast one drum pun per chapter because I'm trash.
> 
> I expected to have this up earlier but tumblr got the best of me once again. So sorry for that.
> 
> Hope you enjoy~

Highschool was horrific.

 

At first, it was almost like an adventure. So much more space and so many more kids. Finding each class was such a foreign and exciting class. Well, at least the first one was.

 

He wasn’t exactly expecting to have fun in first period; math had never been his strong suit, and having to do algebra at seven in the morning wasn’t one of his priorities. But homework on the first day? That was unheard of!

 

Not to mention that second period, English of all the things, was on the opposite side of the school! He practically had to sprint through the hallways to get over there in time, knocking several people down in the process. Even then, his efforts were rewarded with an article that needed annotated, and a huge-ass textbook that smelled like rotten cheese.

 

The next two periods weren’t exactly a blast on their own; he had a typing class that was required for all freshmen to take, and then Spanish which Eren had no idea what the hell was happening in. What was with all the students anyways? Some of them looked like they were eight years old, and others could’ve passed as thirty!

 

Finally, he sat with Armin and Mikasa at a lunch table, with half an hour to rest his mind. He groaned and let his forehead fall to the counter with a dull ‘thump.’ He had never felt so exhausted in his entire life.

 

“C’mon Eren, aren’t you going to go get food?” Armin nudged his friend at the lunch table with concerned blue eyes. Teal orbs glanced up at the lunch-line and grimaced.

 

“Fuck no,” he spat, “the line is like five miles.”

 

“Watch your mouth,” Mikasa grumbled and shoved her lunch over to him. “Here,” she said, a little more softly, “have some of mine.”

 

Eren sighed and began slowly picking at what seemed to be a decent salad. Mikasa was a vegetarian after all, and green wasn’t really an appealing color for a hot-dog.

 

“We should be eating the band room right now,” he mumbled, shoving lettuce in his mouth, “with the band kids. Doing band-kid things and making band-kid memories.”

 

“But Eren—“

 

“All the band kids eat in the band room! That’s just how things are!”

 

“Technically we aren’t really even band kids,” Mikasa replied, sticking to the peach slices on the other side of the lunch tray. “We were never told when sign-ups were, remember?”

 

“So?” Eren stood up, determination in his eyes. “C’mon, let’s go ask to join right now! It can’t be that hard!”

 

Like hell he was going to sit back and not join marching band when he’d practically wanted to his whole life.

 

“Do you even know where the band room is?” Armin asked with small hesitance, and Eren’s face fell. Oh. That would definitely be some useful information.

 

“Well…no…”

 

“Eren,” Mikasa started, and Eren rolled his eyes in preparation for a mom-speech, “I understand that you want to join the marching band. But think about it rationally here. What if we missed the try-outs? They won’t just let us in because we ask nicely. Besides, it’s going to take up a _lot_ of your time, and I don’t know if you’re really prepared to put in that much effort—“

 

“ _Excuse me?!_ ” Eren slammed his fists down on the table, successfully startling the people sitting in the tables around him. But Eren hardly noticed them.

 

“I’d give my all to marching band!” Eren shouted, his anger taking over him. “I don’t care if there’s every day practices! I don’t care if I have to give up my weekends! Hell, I don’t even care if I’m not liked!” At this point, he was ranting in his rage, and had no control over the words spilling out of his mouth. Nothing mattered to him but telling off his sister—who sat seemingly unaffected as she paused in her peach-eating.

 

Hell, he didn’t even notice one of the most prestigious band members standing right behind him.

 

“Whether I have Captain Levi’s approval or not, I _will_ do my best. Don’t you dare tell me otherwise. I’ve had a _shitty_ day filled with _shitty_ people and _shitty_ classes, so don’t you fill it with more _shit_ about me not ‘putting in enough effort.’ Fuck that, Mikasa. You know how much this means to me.”

 

Eren huffed as he finished, watching intently as Mikasa’s lips fell into a thin line. Eren’s eyes softened, and he took a deep breath.

 

“Shit, Mikasa…I…I’m sorry…”

 

“Eren, you’ve been skipping your pills again haven’t you?”

Eren swallowed harshly, and hung his head with a weak nod. It’s not like he asked for this—the anger that always followed him wherever he went, ever since he was a child. He was labeled under ‘Anger Management Issues’ when really, he needed to do much more than manage his anger. He needed to contain it, and shut it away from the people he cared about.

 

Otherwise, someone was going to get hurt.

 

“…I’m sorry for what I said, I wasn’t thinking. It’s been a bad day for me too, believe it or not and I guess I just wanted to have a while to relax,” Mikasa relented, and Eren felt his insides churn with guilt. He really hadn’t meant to last out at her, and she had every right to want to relax, especially since she had work after school.

 

“…but, at least we don’t have to find the band room anymore.”

 

Eren glanced up in confusion to see a small smile on his sister’s face. He opened his mouth to question her when he realized that the smile was not directed to him, but rather, someone behind him.

 

“Hello there. You’re Erwin Smith, right?”

 

Eren jumped with a surprised sound and turned to see none other than Mr. Handsome himself towering over him, dressed up in a varsity jacket adorning the schools jade and leather-brown colors as well as light faded jeans that made his eyes seem to sparkle. And true to the word on the streets, there was no denying the bushiness of those eyebrows. He was smiling down at the table with an amused smile, and brought a hand out for a small wave.

 

“Yep, that’d be me. And you are?” Erwin asked and Eren swore that he had the smoothest, most-professional voice he’d ever heard. The kind of voice you expect to hear on the radio, or in a commercial for cleaning products. A perfect voice for the role of leading a marching band.

 

Which ironically, he did.

 

“I-I’m Eren,” he said shakily, before turning to gesture to his friends. “And this is Armin and Mikasa, my sister. Pleased to make your acquaintance, sir!”

 

Erwin nodded to each of them, and then smiled at the formality. Eren allowed a nervous smile to grow on his face, and he prayed to God that he didn’t mess this up somehow.

 

“So, you want to join band?” Erwin asked, attention directly on Eren now. The gaze of those soft baby-blue eyes on him was enough to make Eren jump—he felt like he should at least salute, or something to the figure of authority in front of him.

 

“Y-Yes Sir!”

 

“I didn’t mean to eavesdrop,” Erwin asserted with a sheepish smile, “but I did hear quite a large bit of your conversation. You mentioned Levi, yes? Are you perhaps interested in the drumline?”

 

Eren nodded, not trusting his voice to speak for him. It seemed though, that he didn’t have to, as Mikasa cut in, voicing herself.

 

“All three of us are definitely interested in joining the drumline,” she said, gesturing to Armin with her thumb, “but we never got the memo for sign-ups. Is it too late for sign-ups?” Erwin hesitated for a minute before nodding, and Eren felt his stomach sink low.

 

“We had sign-ups around the end of last year,” Erwin replied with a troubled expression, and it took all Eren had to not let his gaze slip to those eyebrows, “as well as band-camp over the summer. With the summer parades over and the first football game in two weeks, it’d generally be too late to join the band this late.”

 

Eren lowered his gaze to the floor, not in anger but in misery. His dreams of joining the highschool drumline were crushed in a moment, and any hope of getting to know the petite-but-kinda-hot-captain gone.

 

“But?” Mikasa chimed in, and Eren lifted his head slightly, allowing himself to hope for a moment.

 

Erwin smiled lightly, and met the ravenette’s chilly gaze with ease. “But,” he replied, causing Eren to lift his gaze to him once more, “we’re seriously lacking in the drum department this year. As of right now, we have four people remaining in drumline.”

 

“Four?!” Eren cried, taken aback by the number. Surely enough, as he did a recount in his head, most of last year’s members were indeed seniors. Even so, his chest lifted at the number, knowing that at least now he had a chance getting in.

 

Erwin nodded to him, and seemingly thought for a moment. “As of now, the current members are…Hanji, Petra, Oluo, and of course, Levi.” Eren’s inwardly swelled with pride at hearing his role model’s name, and Erwin seemed to take in his reaction with curiosity.

 

“I believe that, if you all show great determination and effort, we can manage to fit you in and prepare you for the first game,” Erwin said, and paused to send Eren a small grin.

 

“Though I’m not concerned about that,” he spoke, “since you seem like you’re a pretty good kid—all of you do. I’m pretty certain that if we can convince Pixis to let you in, you won’t disappoint us.”

 

Eren grinned broadly, and brought his fist up to his chest in a mock-salute that he had watched the marching band do for years. “Don’t worry sir,” he replied with upmost confidence in his tone, “I’ll do my best!”

 

Mikasa and Armin nodded in agreement and Erwin let out a hum of approval.

 

“Alright then, I’ll show you all to the band room then now, if it’s no trouble.”

 

“Trouble?!” Eren gawked. “Not at all, sir! We’d be honored!”

 

Erwin laughed at the boy’s enthusiasm before turning to the now standing Armin and Mikasa. Seeing that they were ready, he was about to turn on his heel before his eyes widened, seemingly remembering something.

 

“Oh,” he spoke suddenly, turning to Eren, “and I wouldn’t worry about Levi’s opinion on you, Eren. He pretty much hates everyone anyways, but I feel like you may be an exception.”

 

“Huh?” Eren blinked, cocking his head to the side. “Why’s that?”

 

Erwin smiled mischievously. “He has a thing for the word ‘shit.’ From what I’ve heard, you do too. Who knows, maybe you two will get along nicely,” he replied and turned on his heel, expecting the freshmen to follow.  _Not to mention that by the end of the year, you'll be banging more than a drum kid,_  Erwin thought, but didn’t bother to mention.

 

Eren blinked for a moment before smiling broadly. He followed eagerly, grabbing Armin’s hand and dragging him along, Mikasa trailing not far behind.

 

Maybe highschool wasn’t all that bad.


	3. “But trash like you belongs in the garbage, not on the floor.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update .-. I got a little preoccupied with competition over the weekened. I'll try to make it a point to update every Sunday from now on. We did really good and I'm extremely proud of us! Here's the rankings if you were curious:
> 
> 3rd place overall field show  
> 2nd place parade block  
> 3rd place colorguard  
> 2nd place mrs. majorette  
> 2nd place feature twirler  
> annnnnnnnnd *drumroll* 1ST PLACE DRUMLINE WHOOO XD No but seriously, I cried and it was wonderful. It was such a great feeling, and it really gave me the inspiration to write more of this sooo xDD
> 
> Anywayss, have some Levi P.O.V. I'm eventually gonna try and mix up both Eren & Levi's P.O.V.'s together but ehh effort. 
> 
> Again, sorry. But here it iss~

No matter what anybody said, highschool was shit.

 

With three years already under his belt, Levi could argue, _would argue_ , that every waking moment he’s spent in the hell they called _Trost High School_ was wasted.

 

You wake up at five thirty a-fucking-m, get on a shitty bus full of shitty people, and get taught shit that you won’t remember anyways for a good seven hours before you can go home. And even then, Levi had band practice. So he ended up staying after for another _two hours,_ not actually leaving the school untilfive thirty p-fucking-m. Twelve goddamn hours he spends five days a week at his own personal hell. It felt like much more though.   A single period felt like hours, and four consecutive ones felt like a lifetime.

 

And to think it was only now lunch time.

 

 

“But Leviiiiii!” Hanji whined and stared up at him with puppy-eyes. Levi’s eyebrow twitched, head already having started a migraine.

 

How he had managed to tolerate her for all these years was beyond him, but he guessed that once someone shared their cookies with you in primary school, your relationship was pretty much decided then and there.

 

“Give it up Hanji,” Oluo groaned from his seat, hat tipped down so that it covered his eyes, “you know he’s gonna say no anyways.” Levi allowed his eyes to roam over the various wrinkles on his face—how did an eighteen year old even have wrinkles?—before turning back to his fiery friend.

 

“You don’t know that!” the brunette pouted, crossing her arms over her chest. Levi let out a ‘Tch,’ and crossed his arms over his chest defiantly.

 

“For once, Hanji’s correct.” Levi watched as his childhood friend turned to him, pure bliss behind her dramatic frames. She raised her hands to throw them around his neck, and he shot her down with a quick kick to the stomach.

 

“I wasn’t going to say ‘No,’” Levi said, no sympathy in his tone as the girl beneath him groaned, “I was going to say ‘ _Hell no._ ’”

 

“ _Ughh.._ Why are you so meaaan to me?” the brunette whined and Levi rolled his eyes.

 

“Because you deserve it,” he replied, and turned when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He met honey glazed eyes that told him all he needed to know. Petra had that effect on people—one look into her eyes, and you knew exactly what she wanted you to do. Wearing your heart on your sleeve, or some shit like that. Levi didn’t really care.

 

“C’mon shitty glasses, get up,” he barked, holding a hand down to his fallen comrade. Hanji laughed a little and took it, heaving herself up with a manly huff. She towered over him with a goofy grin, and Levi winced at her morning breath. She had definitely not brushed her teeth this morning.

 

“Aww, you do care!” she cooed, going in for a hug. Levi decided to go nicer on her, and instead slammed his hand into her forehead.

 

“No, I don’t,” he said calmly, pressing his thumb deeply into her temple.

 

“But trash like you belongs in the garbage, not on the floor.”

 

“Hey!” Hanji shoved his hand away playfully, but he could still see the pain wedged up in her eyebrows.

 

Levi felt a small smile prick at his lips, but he pushed it away. Petra giggled from beside him and a lazy grin was stretched across Olou’s face. Even Hanji seemed to be content—which wasn’t really a surprise, the woman was always a bit sadistic. Still, Levi felt a big relief hit him for the first time since, well, the end of last year’s marching band season.

 

Sure, there were only four of them in the drumline. But they were all familiar, and Levi was comfortable around them. Not to mention that they all had experience, and would probably breeze through the music without having to teach any freshmen. Yeah it would’ve been better if Gunther and Eld hadn’t graduated, but Levi found himself thankful that he still had the other three for his senior year.

 

All in all, what could go wrong?

 

“Hey Levi, a moment please.”

 

Levi turned to see a familiar face, and immediately found himself staring into pools of baby blue. Erwin had practically been his best friend since childhood seeing as they were neighbors and Levi was fully prepared to give him the respect he deserved as the drum major. It was always the blonde’s dream to stand up on that podium one day, and even though Levi would never admit it, he was happy for him.

 

Happy, that is, until he saw that familiar mischievous little grin adorning his features.

 

“What do you want Erwin?” He asked, not in the mood to be doing any favors. Erwin’s grin only grew and he sighed, knowing that it’d be best to just jump to the point.

 

“I found some new people interested in joining the line,” Erwin replied, sliding his hands into his pocket nonchalantly. “I have to run it by Pixis first, but I’m sure if they have your approval, he’d be down for it.”

 

“Ooh! YES!” Hanji fist-pumped the air, and skipped her way over to Erwin excitedly. “Tell me they can play tenors! Snares? Pit?! IT WOULD BE SO NICE TO HAVE A PIT AGAIN!”

 

“Shut up Hanji,” Levi barked, and Hanji only shot him a playful wink before sitting down at Erwin’s feet, looking up at him with expecting eyes.

 

Levi shot a glance and Petra and Oluo to ensure that they wouldn’t interrupt, but they both regarded him calmly – Oluo now sat up with his hand fully on his head—and silently, waiting for him to proceed. Finally, he turned back to Erwin, who nodded to him in approval.

 

He regarded him the blonde a moment, and then let out an annoyed sigh. “Erwin,” he started, rubbing at his temple in an attempt to rid himself of his migraine, “we’ve already had tryouts, not to mention _camp_ where we learn absolutely _everything._ Don’t you think it’s a little too late for newbies?”

 

“They’re freshmen so I can’t say that their marching skills are great,” Erwin carried on, seemingly unfazed by Levi’s immediate reaction, “but they know how to read music fairly well. Their determination is impeccable, really. I’m sure they’ll fit in just fine.”

 

Levi crossed his arms over his chest, and leaned back against the wall. Lord did he need a cigarette right now. He was not good with little kids, let alone freshmen brats that don’t know jack shit about anything. His mood was going significantly downhill. The opportunity was almost too good to be true, four drummers weren’t nearly enough to be considered an official line. They’d need at least two more, and they’d have to be _good._

 

“The first game is in two weeks,” he replied, hoping to find a reason to go against the blonde’s idea.

 

“Exactly, that’s plenty of time,” Erwin said with a smile. “Teach them their parts in percussion ensemble, as well as the basics of marching, and then take them down to the camp over the weekends. I’m sure my dad wouldn’t mind, no one really rents out the cabins this late in August anyways.”

 

Levi hummed at the idea, and drummed his fingers against his arms in thought. True, Erwin’s dad did own the campsite that the band traveled to every summer for a week for official _Band Camp_ , and if the brats were to switch their first period over to percussion, he’d surely have them marching in a day or so. He ran over everything in his head a few times, before giving up. There was nothing wrong with what Erwin was proposing, and it pissed Levi off to no end. Even if it was for the greater good, it was going to require a _lot_ of effort.

 

“How many are there?” he asked finally, sighing deeply in submission.

 

Erwin brightened up a bit in that knowing way that he had, and it made Levi want to punch him in the dick.

 

“Three,” he chirped and Levi resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Three brats to whip into shape in the next two weeks. Lovely. He was bursting with enthusiasm.

 

“Say yes! Say yes!” Hanji whispered, but Levi felt like he could’ve heard it three rooms away. He shot her a glare to shut her up, and turned to see Petra when he felt her warm hand resting on her shoulder.

 

“I know you probably don’t like the idea of starting newbies later,” she said softly, “but I think this could be our only chance to become something great. We could have a chance at first place this year, and Erwin definitely seems to believe in them. Please consider it?”

 

Levi stared into her eyes, letting her words run through his mind. He remembered having the biggest crush on Petra in his middle school days, and at this proximity he could totally understand why. She was beautiful; almost completely untouched by makeup aside from the thin eyeliner she wore above her lashes. He didn’t really think it was necessary, but he supposed she did it for herself and not others anyways.

 

He thought about what she said for another moment, and then turned back to Erwin with a scowl.

 

“You better not make me regret this,” he said, not missing the relief that flooded through his best friend’s eyes.

 

“Of course not, thank you. I think it’s going to be a wonderful season,” Erwin said, before leaning back into the hall and raising a hand. “We’re all done here, if you want to come down now!” he called out, and then leaned back into the room, looking at Levi expectedly.

 

Oh great, the brats were here now.

 

Levi sighed, but didn’t bother to soften his expression. If he had to deal with these late little shit-heads who think they can just waltz on in at any time, then they can deal with a little attitude from the ravenette.

 

He tapped his foot impatiently as he heard the approaching footsteps, exhaling deeply in relief when he finally saw three – undeniably large (when the fuck did freshmen get so big?)—figures enter the doorway.

 

“I’ve told Levi the situation, and he’s agreed to give you a chance. Welcome to the Trost High Marching Band!” Erwin congratulated them, Hanji echoing “Welcome! Welcome!” in the background, and one of the kids _fucking fist-bumped the air like a child._ There was a moment of fear in Levi’s heart – he was _not_ dealing with a second Hanji. But still he kept a poker face, and cleared his throat, more than ready to make introductions.

 

And the very first impression he got was of large sparkling teal blue eyes that made his chest flutter.


	4. “That went better than expected,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~~I'm horrible trash don't shoot me~~

Eren had never felt so nervous before in his entire life.

 

Before him sat Dot Pixis, hands folded neatly on his desk and eyes staring back at him with a kind of intimidation you didn’t see as a fan in the stands. He found himself wiping his sweaty palms on his jeans before taking a large breath in, hoping this would be over with soon.

 

 The man, although bald and rather large-headed, gave off the impression of an eagle; staring at him intensely and as if though to attack at any given moment.

 

If he found this man so nerve-wracking, what would happen when he finally met Levi?

 

“So,” the man started, voice raspy and worn like old leather flats, “what is it that you wanted to speak to me about?”

 

Eren took a moment to think about how to begin. _Oh hey, yeah. We didn’t get the memo about the marching band thing, so if you could let us join four months late, that’d be cool._

 

He began to feel panicked, and then thought back to what the field commander had told him.   If he could convince Levi that they could join, then Pixis would let them in.  Simple as that.  Eren just wished Erwin would get back soon. With the newfound reassurement he opened his mouth to speak, only for Mikasa to speak for him.

 

“We’d like to join the marching band sir,” Mikasa said calmly, “the drumline, preferably.”

 

Eren felt a flash of relief fall over him when he realized that his sister would get through most of the talking for them, but it faded away when he saw the incredulous look the band director shot her.

 

“You do realize that you’ve missed try-outs by months, right?” he questioned, raising an eyebrow. “Not to mention initiation Pre-camp, band-camp, all of the summer parades, and the teacher performances.  Not only that, but our first halftime performance is two weeks from now.”

 

“We’re aware sir,” Eren piped up, meeting his gaze with honest and nervous eyes, “b-but we’re prepared to work hard to make up for all the missed time, if you’ll give us a chance.”

 

Pixis stared at him for a moment or two, before leaning back into his chair with an exasperated sigh. “Look, I’m not gonna lie,” he began, rubbing at his temple, “we are desperately in need of more drummers.  Even one would help.

 

“But even if I did give you a chance, you’d need to convince Levi—the captain, first. No point in recruiting newbies if their captain doesn’t accept them.  It won’t be easy—he’s as stubborn as a mule, -- but it’s crucial if you’re planning on joining.”

 

“Erwin’s speaking it over with him now,” Armin replied, and Pixis shot him a nod of approval.

 

“Then that’s all I can do for you now,” he said, raising his arms above his head to stretch, nodding to the door to let them know that they’ve been dismissed. “Have him come talk to me if you get his approval.”

 

“Yes sir,” Eren said, quickly standing to bow, and then leave. Mikasa and Armin followed suit, and Eren heard a huff of approval come from him before he shut his door.

 

“That went better than expected,” Armin muttered, and Mikasa hummed in agreement. Eren turned to the other side of the hall to see Erwin’s shadow peering out of the doorway of what Eren assumed was the band room.  He could hear bits and pieces of exchanged words, and a shiver was sent down his back when he realized that Levi was one of the ones speaking.

 

“Maybe we should wait out here until they’re done,” Mikasa said, leaning up against the wall. Eren shrugged, and sat down next to her. 

 

He lifted his hands in front of his face only to see them shaking. God he was nervous.  He felt like he was about to meet a celebrity—and in a sense, he was.  Levi was widely known state-wide in the band community as one of the single best drummers.  Sure, he had a temper on him, but that only seemed to make him all the more appealing.

He only had to remind himself: The man in the room next to him was only another highschool student.

 

  So yeah, he was three years his senior, and practically a god at drumming.  So what?  He was just another student who had to wake up at five-thirty every morning, and tend to normal human needs like eating and sleeping.  He wasn’t all that different from Eren at all.

 

So why was he so nervous?

 

Eren allowed his eyes to slip closed, as he rolled his head back. He supposed he might have a _teensy_ crush on the drum captain—not that he was especially attracted to men, so to say.  If anything, he would consider himself demi-sexual, which was rather strange considering he’d never met the man before in his life.  Maybe he was pan?  People did often get them mixed up.  Lord were sexualities confusing.

 

“Hey, Erwin’s motioning for us to come in,” Mikasa said with a nudge to Eren’s side, successfully interrupting his sudden sexuality crisis. He felt his heart speed up—Oh shit, I’m not ready for this, I’m not ready!— but shot his gaze over to the band room where Erwin Smith stood and was indeed staring at them with a serene smile.

 

“We’re all done here, if you want to come down now!” he called out, and then leaned back into the room. Eren took a deep breath, and almost fell into a coughing fit over the large gulp that smuggled its way down his throat. No backing out now, not after he’s come this far. 

 

He forced himself to stand tall, and turned to his companions. Armin was sending him a supportive look, hope lining his eyes as he shot him a thumbs-up.  He smiled and returned one, turning to Mikasa with a single question in his eyes: _You ready?_

Of course, Mikasa understood immediately and nodded. With that, Eren allowed himself one more deep breath, and turned on his heel, taking long strides over to the band room. What if Levi said no?  What if he just yelled at them and called them idiots?  The brunette felt a pang of fear reach his gut, but before he could turn around and run away, he found himself standing in the doorway of the band room. 

 

He slowly turned his gaze to Erwin Smith, who smiled down at him calmly. Was that a good sign, or is he just naturally cheery?  Eren’s breath slowed to an almost unbearable rate, and months—no, years, seemed to pass before Erwin broke out in a cheery voice.

 

“I’ve told Levi the situation, and he’s agreed to give you a chance. Welcome to the Trost High Marching Band!”

Eren’s whole world seemed to freeze for a minute as his excitement—Levi had decided to give him a chance? Hell yes!  He was a part of his high school’s marching band – better yet, the drumline—and he was working aside his hero! With a fist-bump to the air, he silently promised himself that he would never make the drum captain regret his decision. 

 

One of the upperclassmen seemed to share his enthusiasm, and he found himself grinning over at Hanji Zoe—one of the single best tenor players he’d ever seen. She shot him a playful wink, and he laughed, finding her just as optimistic as he’s seen her on the field.

 

 

Looking around, he recognized a few other faces. Sitting slouched in a chair was a rather older looking male that Eren immediately identified as Oluo Bozado, co-captain and head of the bass-drummers.  His face held a sunken, restless frown as he tried to get some rest and Eren took a moment to wonder if he’d look like that after four years of highschool.

 

He let his eyes wander to the right and saw a small cuter girl with a friendly smile. Petra Ral, the only female drummer to get a snare her freshmen year.  She was a notable person outside of marching band as well; a kind-hearted soul that worked at shelters and soup-kitchens in her spare time.  She smiled at him from her side of the room, one hand on her hip and the other leaning against quite possibly the most intimidating person Eren had ever seen.

 

It took less than a millisecond for Eren to recognize the small, sourly man standing with his arms crossed over his chest. _Levi_ ghosted past his lips in a small whisper before he even realized, and Eren found himself trapped in the icy steeliness of the man’s eyes. 

 

Shit, he was in deeper than he thought.

 

Levi said nothing, only stared back at him with somewhat of the same curiosity, though Eren could hardly imagine why. He was plain and boring, whereas Levi held some very intriguing factors that Eren never noticed from the stands.

 

First of all, he was a punk kid. That was for sure; Eren didn’t even bother counting the amounts of piercings loading the drummer’s ears.  From rings, to dangling crosses, to studs, to gauges—it was so much metal, Eren wondered how it didn’t weigh him down. 

 

The metal-work decorating the male’s face was significantly easier to count—two rings on the side of his right eyebrow, a small ebony septum that just barely drooped beneath his nose, and a small diamond stud on his chin directly below slightly-parted pink lips.

God did they look delicious against that flushed skin—so smooth and silk-like in appearance, and yet somehow so perfectly framed by the contrasting ebony fringe that was so evenly parted to the center of his forehead.

 

The first time Eren had ever wanted to throw someone against a wall, it was out of anger for an argument gone wrong. Now, Eren could pretty solidly justify that his reasoning for throwing Levi against one would be something entirely _different._ The drummer was so tiny too, he’d almost surely have to be picked up—preferably with his legs tightly wrapped around the brunette’s hips; hands roughly pulling through his hair and—

 

“Are you done gawking yet?”

 

Eren jumped out of his fantasies and blinked over at the ravenette, who was shooting him an impatient look. Eren blinked once, twice, and then again before realizing the awkward silence that now filled the room.  His cheeks heated up and he quickly raised his arms in his defense.

 

“U-Uh, I’m sorry, I just—I’m such a big fan and—“

 

“I don’t want to hear about whatever kinky shit was going through your head,” Levi interrupted in a dry tone, “I just want to get some shit straight first. Think you can handle some questions?”

 

Eren nodded and averted his gaze; he could feel the heat on his cheeks—Dear God, what the hell was he thinking? He willed himself to calm down.  How could he _not_ gawk at such a godlike beauty?  It’s not his fault he wasn’t born straight.

 

“Oh come on!” Hanji whined. “Don’t be too hard on him!  I think it’s kinda cute!”

 

“Names.” Levi barked, not even sparing a glance at her as Eren felt his cheeks get redder.

 

“Mikasa,” came the cold reply from the female ravenette. Oh boy, that’s never a good sign. Eren wondered what would happen if Mikasa and Levi didn’t get along.  He hoped it wouldn’t get them all kicked out.

 

“I-I’m Armin Arlet sir, nice to meet you,” answered the blonde with a polite bow. Levi nodded to him, a dim sign of respect in his eyes before turning to Eren.  Eren returned his gaze, not realizing that he was waiting for him until the punk raised a single pierced eyebrow.

 

“Uh…Eren Jaeger…” he said totally-not-unconfidently, and Levi let out a ‘Tch’ in response.

“I’m Levi, as I’m sure you know, and I run shit around here.” The drummer pointed a single finger down at the floor.  “You see that?  Take a minute.  Look real closely.” 

 

Eren did as he was told, and he was almost amazed. The floor was an almost glowing white, and with the sunlight coming in from the window, he could easily see the place becoming his sanctuary. There was no trash, no scuff-marks from sneakers or heels. Not a single thing out of place. 

 

“First order of business: Don’t make a fucking mess,” Levi snarled insincerely, “Despite what they’ll have you think,” he paused to point a finger at Erwin and Hanji who stood smiling innocently at him, “this isn’t a fucking daycare.  Clean up your shit, and that’s not a request.  Got it?”

 

The three newbies only nodded, Eren starting to feel a bit of fear take over his nervousness. Geez, he didn’t have to be so harsh, did he?  Then again, he supposed the guy had a reputation to uphold.  He wasn’t the greatest drummer in the valley for nothing.

 

“Second, you have a _fuck ton_ of shit to catch up on.  Hope you don’t mind homework kiddies, because you’re spending the next two weeks—both after school and on the weekends—training with _me._ ”  Eren saw Mikasa stiffen a bit beside him, and it suddenly hit him.  What would she do about work?  He supposed she could just call off, but he knew she hated doing that, even when she was sick.

 

Levi noticed, and narrowed his eyes to a sharp glare. “I’ve already cleared my schedule for late shitty brats like you, so don’t bitch to me about any plans of yours gone ruined,” he sneered, and turned then turned swiftly Erwin.  “I’m gonna go give Pixis the word; tell them what they need to know,” he said irritably, and then left the room without another word.  Eren watched him go with only one coherent thought in his mind.

 

Damn did that boy look good in skinny jeans.


End file.
